What Steps Do You Need to Take to Become a Neonatal Nurse?

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Who doesn’t want to go into the nursery and cuddle those adorable newborns with the little stocking caps, swaddled and looking so calm and serene. Cuddling is one thing, but taking care of them medically is another. It takes an extremely special person to want to take care of these infants. Along with the fact that they are so fragile, the morbidity rate in problem infants is enough to melt the heart of any individual. But, there are people who actually are interested in nursing these little ones back to good health. They are called neonatal nurses. The steps taken on how to become a neonatal nurse should be well planned and thought out.

Neonatal Nursing

Neonatal nursing is a subspecialty of nursing that works with newborn infants born with a variety of problems ranging from prematurity, birth defects, infection, cardiac malformations, and surgical problems. The first month of life defines the neonatal period. Some of these babies are sick for months. This specialty of nursing usually includes babies who have problems immediately after birth, but these problems can last much longer than a month or two.

Starting the Process in How to Become a Neonatal Nurse

If one could have the slightest inkling that neonatal nursing would be a favored career, all of the math one can manage is desirable. With tiny infants, being able to calculate drug usage will be imperative. There is absolutely no room for error with these little ones. If the student can start with a strong math background in high school, it will be seriously beneficial. Becoming a neonatal nurse is a long serious process and should be considered with much care and determination.

Nursing degrees of various sorts take 2-4 years, depending on the degree. Associate’s degrees are usually two-year programs and Bachelor’s programs are three to four. It is probably a good idea to go for the Bachelor’s degree, if the student intends to specialize.

After the initial degree is accomplished, the nursing graduate must then sit for and pass the NCLEX exam. This is the exam that a nurse takes in order to acquire licensure with the state in order to practice as a registered nurse. In order to sit this exam, the student will have excellent character and must not have any serious criminal background problems. Becoming a neonatal nurse involves having good morals and integrity.

Specializing

Neonatal nursing is leaning more now toward the nurse practitioner credential, so if the student would like to move into this profession, a master’s degree will be required. A two-year Advanced Practice Nursing Program is required to prepare the graduate for a Nurse Practitioner license. Not all nursing schools offer advanced practice programs. This should be researched and well thought out by anyone who wishes to pursue this career avenue. The demand for neonatal nurses and neonatal nurse practitioners is expected to explode over the next 10 years.

Neonatal Nursing Schools

Some of the top neonatal nursing schools include:

•University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX
•Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
•University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
•Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
•Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
•University of Missouri, Kansas City Branch, Kansas City, MO
•University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
•University of California, San Francisco, CA

These universities, along with a few others, offer extensive clinical training in neonatal nursing with various opportunities in nursing degrees and graduate programs for these types of credentials.